


The Deadly Grand Prix

by TrashyCarsAndUndertaleFan



Category: Cars (Pixar Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxious Shu, Axlerod isn't the bad guy, Best Friends, F/M, Francesco is lonely, Friendship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, It gets way off topic, Like Really Off Topic, M/M, Mater isn't a spy, Multi, My First Work in This Fandom, Questioning Francesco, Sally with Lightning is just mentioned, Shu gets no one, Slow Romance, So it's an alternate universe, The bois are smart, The lemons target different racers, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:01:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25813231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashyCarsAndUndertaleFan/pseuds/TrashyCarsAndUndertaleFan
Summary: The lemons target different racers. Which ones will survive?
Relationships: Carla Veloso/Nigel Gearsley, Jeff Gorvette & Lewis Hamilton, Jeff Gorvette/Lewis Hamilton, Max Schnell/Miguel Camino, Raoul ÇaRoule/Rip Clutchgoneski, Sally Carrera/Lightning McQueen
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The World Grand Prix racers and crowd are in for a big surprise when every racer can't finish the race.

The racers were excited for the World Grand Prix. They had some friendly rivalry. They were all friends though. They were waiting to get told to get in position, so they were waiting in a big garage area.  
¶ Two best friends, Lewis and Jeff, were trying to explain to Shu that in 'Humans' two pregnant women fighting was like two babies fighting in mechs. The Japanese race car was stuck listening and was mildly disturbed. Rip bumped his top left tire against Francesco's bottom right tire to get to chat with him. Francesco asked about his country with genuine curiosity. Raoul was wishing Miguel and Max good luck. Lightning, Carla, and Nigel enjoyed a nice casual chat.  
¶ Raoul went up to Rip and joined in. Francesco bounced excitedly and exclaimed with passion that he would win. His boasting was cut off by Sir Miles Axlerod opening the door, "Ahhh I see all you astounding racers are excited! You all ready to see who is the fastest car in the world?" Miguel drove up to him, "We absolutely are Mr. Axlerod." He rolled back, "Who's with me?!" He revved his engine and the rest of the racers joined in. They all made sweet noise that was filled with anticipation.  
¶ Axlerod chuckled, "That is music to my hood. You all will rock it out there today!" He rolled back out, "Get in positions in three minutes." He left the racers alone.  
¶ Holley had listened in through a spare headset in the room. She disabled the hack and turned to her spy partner, "Ok Finn... the race starts in five minutes. Calculations should be correct due to the announcers introducing all of the racers." Finn nodded, "Ok. Let's see what that EMP Emitter really does. Professor Zündapp is a weapons maker after all."

Somewhere else in a different building overlooking the race course, two lemons set up a camera. The lemons in question, Grem and Acer, were set to get three cars out of the race. Grem positioned the camera. Acer looked at him, "Who are the targets?" Grem scoured the area, "I'll decide when I see them. The professor wanted to get Miguel out, but the other two are up to us." Acer grinned, "Which ones have not crashed before?" Grem glared at him, "How am I supposed to know?"  
¶ The two lemons looked at the garage area when the door opened up. Hundreds of cars cheered as out drove the racers. Brent began announcing the different race tracks and comparing each racer to the different sections of the tracks. Darrell pointed out the dirt track section of the courses and concluded Lightning was the best all around racer in the competition.  
¶ Lightning listened to his pit crew. Luigi reminded him to keep his tire pressure under control. Guido was excited for the pit stop. Sarge cheered Lightning on by reassuring him that Lightning can steal the lead at the dirt track section. Fillmore noted that the required fuel, Allinol, tasted strange and not organic. Lightning didn't question why Fillmore tasted his fuel. Mater reminded his best friend to show what Doc taught him on the dirt.  
¶ All the racers would need as much motivation as possible due to this track being new to them. It probably wasn't new to Shu, but even he was nervous. Carla smiled in confidence. Lewis taunted Jeff despite having a lower top speed. Francesco revved his engine with excitement. Raoul looked back and flashed everyone a smile. Rip smiled back. The red lights all turned on and the green flashed!

¶ The racers broke out in spectacular fashion. Lightning and Francesco quickly surpassed the other racers, but Lightning took the lead in the dirt. Raoul was close behind him, followed by Max and Nigel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The racers were on their second lap already. Grem readied the camera and grinned at Acer. He set the camera's sights on Miguel and turned it up to 75%. The camera started charging up its beam as it filled with red. Next thing everyone knew, Miguel's engine was blown. He rolled his way into the pits. Grem took this opportunity to aim for the slowest car, Raoul. He charged up the camera and fired it off again.  
¶ Raoul began spinning out. He crashed into a side beam in a pile of smoke. The crowd gasped on both blown engines. They decided to wait until the final lap to take down anyone else. They set their eyes on Lewis.  
¶ It was time. The racers were on their final lap. Acer wanted to do the honors; Grem rolled away from the camera, and Acer took position. He readied the camera's setting to 75% and aimed at the British race car. He laughed as fire erupted from behind Lewis' tires. The crowd gasped when Rip, who was behind Lewis, rammed into him. They spun out and hit a concrete side beam.  
¶ Jeff had never braked so hard in his life. He idly sat there for a few seconds and started driving backwards. He watched his side mirror and stopped right around a building. He faced where the racers would be driving from and turned on his headlights. The crowd had gone silent in anticipation and confusion.  
¶ They only heard the sound of Jeff's engine revving in warning. Francesco spotted Jeff's lights from across the bridge. Lightning did too. They slowed down a bit. Francesco went to Shu's side, "I don't-a know who has-a their headlights on. They-a are blocking the quickest way to the finish line..." Shu narrowed his eyes and slowed down. Lightning warned Carla of the headlights, and she in turn slowed down to warn Nigel while Shu warned Max. They all came to an agreement, and all the racers slowed to a stop merely yards from Jeff.  
¶ Lightning blinked in surprise, "Jeff?! What's going on?" The yellow American car in question kept his eyes narrowed with a determined look in his light blue-grey eyes. He sighed, "I got a bad feeling. Every engine blown just worsened it, so I'm stopping it." Lightning looked at him in disbelief, "What do you mean by that? Where's Lewis and Rip?" Jeff frowned, "Lewis had his engine blow and Rip crashed into him. That's why I decided to take matters into my own tires and stop you guys. You all are at risk."  
¶ Shu was the first to stop his engine. The other racers followed his lead. Darrell went on to the microphone, "Where are all the other racers? They seem to have stopped after the crash involving Hamilton and Clutchgoneski!" Brent responded, "Darrell I think you need to clean your windshield. After Jeff reversed all the racers stopped. It must have been him but why?" David butted in, "The press will have to figure that one out with questions. If no one crosses we might not have clear positions for the next race."  
¶ Acer scoffed, "That Gorvette car is way too smart. We should get him out in Porta Corsa." Grem nodded in agreement, "He's just playing the good guy."  
¶ Finn stared down at the turn, "What happened Ms. Shiftwell? Any clue?" The spy in question pulled up a screen, "Using thermal tracking the racers seem to have stopped at the turn from Rainbow Bridge." Finn looked off into the distance, "Huh... Those blown engines were a bit suspicious, but it is still possible. Call up Siddley, we should get a look at the picture Rod took." Holley nodded and called up the jet plane.


	2. You Get Visitation Rights! You Get Visitation Rights! Everyone Gets Visitation Rights!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The racers that weren't affected go to visit their friends while they heal.

The emergency vehicles got onto the track and help get Lewis and Rip off. By now Grem and Acer have packed the camera away. Francesco decides to be brave and start up his engine. "I think it's-a safe to go." Max nodded, "We go from here?" Lightning nodded. They got back into position and raced. They were going to finish this race.  
¶ "Hold on," Finn said. Holley stopped the call, "What is it Finn?" She rolled up to the window, "They continued racing?" Darrell basically shouted into the microphone, "The race is still on!" Brent butted in, "I can't believe this neither. Jeff is catching up with the leaders!" Shu swerves and cuts Jeff off. "OH! Shu just slammed the door on Jeff as they make their way to the finish line!" David announces.  
¶ Francesco and Lightning were bumper to bumper as they approached the finish line. Francesco crossed just deciseconds before Lightning! Carla crossed about a second after them followed by Shu. Darrell announces, "Francesco is the winner! Lightning is second! Followed closely behind by Carla!" Francesco braked to a screeching halt and mocked Lightning. Carla came to a stop and taunted them both.  
¶ Nigel rolled up to them, "Congratulations on top three. It was a great race!" Francesco nodded, "Francesco agrees! Though the-a crash and engine blow outs were-a terrible. Something like-a that should NEVER happen." Lightning agreed, "I know crashing is a part of racing but..." He looked up remembering Doc's crash and The King's crash. "I have seen worse, but I have never seen an engine get blown, especially three in the same race."  
¶ Max drove over, having heard the conversation. "Ja. It's not expected to heat up THAT much in racing. I was talking to Jeff, and he expects foul play even though no one died." Nigel looks at him, "Jeff thinks its a criminal act? That's a bit outlandish." Shu drove over, "There is some evidence. Not a lot, but it is there. He went straight to his pit. He either wants to avoid questions about why he stopped us, or he wants to make sure the others will be okay."  
¶ Nigel nodded, "The press can get overwhelming. Lightning, Francisco, Carla, you go up ahead. We'll be in touch." Francesco frowns, "My name is-a Francesco!" Max and Shu started laughing as Francesco sped off tout de suite to go to the stage. He was promptly followed by Lightning and Carla.

Jeff was driving away. He didn't want to even speak anymore. He just wanted Lewis to be fine. He wanted all the racers to be fine. He nearly flipped over in surprise when a bunch of interviewers surrounded him. "Jeff did you purposefully stay behind on the final lap after seeing the crash? Yeah what happened? Why did you stop your fellow racers?"  
¶ Jeff took a deep breath, "I did stay behind. After seeing my best friend's engine blow out, I took matters onto my own tires. Every blown engine happened in the same general area, so I stopped the other racers. I didn't want any more racers to get hurt." He drove past the interviewers to get some space to think.  
¶ Francesco was questioned about his strategy. Then they got in to the serious questions. "What do you think of the engines blown during the race? What happened when everyone was suddenly stopped? Do you think any more crashes will occur? Do you think there are going to be worse crashes out there in either Porta Corsa or London?"  
¶ "Francesco hopes there-a won't be any more crashes! Especially not in my-a hometown! The-a engines blown were NOT expected! Jeff stopped us. He-a was concerned about us! He stopped us after Lewis blew out," Francesco stated rolling back and away from the microphone.  
¶ Axlerod was absolutely devastated, "The racers shouldn't have crashed. I don't know what happened!" An interviewer spoke up, "Do yiu think Allinol is the cause?" Axlerod looked down, "No. My fuel has been proven safe! Ok? Completely safe." He drove away from the questioning cars. 

The racers were repaired and would have to be careful while driving. Miguel was met with his pit crew. "¿Está bien?" his crew chief asked him. Miguel nodded, "Sí, estoy bien. Gracias." His pit chief smiled, "Alguien quiere verte." Miguel was surprised and drove alongside his crew, "¿En serio?"  
(I'm not sure if that Spanish was accurate or not).  
¶ Miguel heard a familiar engine revving, and he smiled. He rounded a corner, "Raoul! You're okay!" The French rally car grinned, "I came to stop by. The planes are locked and waiting for the racers! Max and Nigel were waiting on you." Miguel chuckled, "You lead the way slow stack." Raoul bumped his top right tire against Miguel's top left.


	3. Basking in the Electromagnetic Sun of Porta Corsa.

Stephenson glided along the tracks from Paris to Porta Corsa. Rod Redline had given Finn and Holley the picture needed. He had contacted a car that specialized in parts. "I just act as a guard, correct?" Rod questioned as Holley sized him. "Absolutely right. Thank you for agreeing to this Agent Redline. We wouldn't have been able to do this without you." Finn uploaded a recording system to Rod's hud, "It's a fake. Ms. Shiftwell's idea was to hear what these cars say. It's a very vulnerable sound camera system that can easily be hacked into." 

".Finn we're close"

"Thank you Stephenson," Finn stated and pressed a button, revealing over 100 different guns and useful items. "You're a bit light on weapons. Have fun," Finn said in an order tone.

* * *

The racers got into their positions. Every lady and gentlecar could hear the crowd cheering Francesco's name into the sky. They were certainly excited to see their favorite racer on the track. The crowd cheered wildly as Francesco waved his tires at them. There were hundreds of Italian flags getting waved into the sky. 

¶ Lightning talked to himself to stay calm as Francesco taunted him. Francesco laughed at him and mocked him, "Francesco is triple speed. Hohooo! Getting Francesco into the zone!" Darrell got on, "This race track is the very course our racer, Francesco Bernoulli, raced on for the entirety of his early days! If he gets beaten on this course, it'll stay in the racing history books!" Brent agreed with him, "I agree but hold your horsepower. Francesco has this course memorized. He could do it with his eyes closed."

¶ Carla readied her wheels and revved her engine in delight. Shu joined in and flexed his wheels. Nigel noticed this and made some noise with a competitive smirk. The supporters of Nigel happily made noise too by clapping their flags together. Max was eyeing Jeff, "You ok Jeff?" The car in question looked at the German racer, "Huh? Oh yeah. I'm just thinking about what happened in Tokyo."

¶ Max rolled over to him, "They all recovered. Just think about how you stopped us from having a similar fate." He bumped his top right tire against Jeff's top left tire and reversed back to his spot. That did make Jeff feel a little bit better, so he put a grin on his face and readied himself. He watched the top row of lights fill with red and the bottom row promptly turned green. 

¶ The racers sped forward with Francesco quickly keeping the lead. Miguel overtook Rip and went forward towards Lewis. "This is going to be a great race! Miguel's already pushing his way up towards Lewis!" Darrell announced everything in a spectacular, excited fashion. "He's closing in on Lewis," David pointed out. Lewis blocked him mercilessly as he was behind Nigel Gearsley. "Oh! Lewis blocked him off," Brent announced with an excited tone of voice. 

* * *

Grem and Acer were on a tower and had the camera set up. "This was meant to be Allinol's greatest moments!" Holley heard through Rod's sound transmission. "Try matching the voice up," Finn asked. "I can't decipher it. It's too complicated," Holley stated.

¶ The professor spoke into the headphones, "It is time." Grem nodded and set up the camera. He put the lever on 75% and aimed at Carla Veloso. Just like in Tokyo with the other racers, her engine blew out. "Oh no! It's Carla Veloso, the Brazilian race car. Her engine just blew," David announced. She hit the side, "Oofh." Smoke billowed out from her tires.

¶ "What just happened?" Finn asks looking down at the curved bridge overlook. "I'm figuring that out now," Holley states searching through a thermal camera, a bright screen, and other screens. During this search, Grem aimed at Nigel. He suffered the same fate. "Oh no! It's number nine, Nigel Gearsley," Brent announced. She got to an Electromagnetic Pulse pick-up screen as Nigel Gearley got taken out. "I'm picking up on a strong electromagnetic pulse from- Finn! It's the camera!" Finn's eyes widened, "Where?" Holley put her screen down, "There on the tower!" Finn sped away. 

¶ Two towing vehicles went out to get Carla and Nigel. Grem and Acer were focused on the racers. Finn raced through the streets of Italy to reach the tower. Residents were surprised by his hurrying. He bounced above barriers and hopped off buildings. He spotted Grem and Acer; what he didn't spot was the helicopter holding a giant magnet behind the lemons. He only noticed it when he was stuck roof-first to it. Grem and Acer faced him. "We figured you might stop by!" Acer taunted the British agent before turning back to the bridge. 

¶ The damn lemons aimed at Shu and pushed the lever to 75%. "NO!" Finn shouted with hopelessness in his voice. "Long. Live. Lemons!" The mastermind shouted and before Rod knew it, Shu was up in flames. "Oh number 7 is loose! Shu Todoroki!" David shouted into the microphone. Miguel noticed and attempted to brake but hit him and spun out, hitting the barrier. 

¶ Max couldn't brake in time and rammed into Miguel, sending scraps across the asphalt. The crowd gasped in horror. "Max has just hit Miguel, and they both are absolutely dented," Darrell stated with a nervous tone of voice. "Unfortunately... both Hamilton and Gorvette are full speed ahead," Brent pointed out. Lewis' and Jeff's crew chiefs were yelling to brake. 

¶ Grem aimed the camera at Jeff and put it up to 75%. Jeff went to brake but instead he began to spin out and rammed into Shu. Lewis crashed into them at 70MPH, and they launched forward to where Miguel and Max were idle. Smoke was rising into the sky. Raoul managed to brake in time, merely a foot behind Lewis. Rip managed to do the same, almost popping a tire. They looked at each other. 

¶ The now wounded racers could barely keep their eyes open. Shu inhaled sharply from pain. Rip was absolutely horrified with the sight before him. The Formula 6000 racer looked away. Raoul did the same and closed his eyes.

* * *

¶ "Bumper to bumper they approach the finish line! McQueen's the winner, Francesco's second, and they have no idea what happened behind them." David stated. They came to a screeching halt. Francesco slammed his top left tire on the ground, "Bah! This is impossible!" Lightning grinned, "That's what I'm talking about! Kachow!" He flashed his top right light as 5 ambulance cars drove by him. "Wait what's going on? Where are all the other cars?" Francesco had a similar question, "What is going on?" 

¶ They looked at the Crash Cam with pure horror. "Oh no..." Lightning said breaking the silence. "This is awful," Francesco reversed a few feet and closed his eyes. "This should not have happened," Lightning stated. 

* * *

Axlerod was horrified and absolutely saddened as he rolled up to the interviewers. Holley urgently spoke to Rod, "Rod! They've got Finn. Get out of there. Get out of there right now!" She got stopped by the car she had tasered to get Rod in. Rod had recorded everything and attempted to leave undetected. "Hey Victor. I would love to stay and celebrate, but I must go back to patroling the plaza." Victor Hugo just nodded, not paying attention to him. He rolled out undetected until he went around a corner and was captured by the car he was impersonating. He attempted to get his machine guns out, but he was too late. 

_Next spot was Big Bentley for him._

¶ Lightning was getting interviewed. "Crashing is a part of racing, but something like that should never happen. Too many cars were hurt today."

"?What fuel will you be using"

"Allinol," Lightning responded with confidence, "my friend Fillmore says the fuel is safe. That's good enough for me." Axlerod stared at him in disbelief but with a grateful smile on his face.

* * *

Zündapp received a call, "Yes. Absolutely. We will kill McQueen." The lemons cheered. 


	4. Interviews

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lightning, Francesco, Raoul, and Rip have to do interviews

The interviewers rushed to the winners stage. They wanted Lightning to answer some questions. He wasn't very comfortable but wanted to at least try to answer some questions. He knew they wanted it. He kept looking away thinking about what he saw on the screen. Five of his friends in a crash set. Only two not in it. That meant the only other two cars besides Francesco and himself... had already been towed. 

"?Lightning how do you think this crash will affect the competition"

He looked at the lady interviewer, "I think it will affect the race severely. Seven cars hurt leaving nine in total unable to finish is awful. Something like that should never happen. Someone I knew would disagree with that statement. He would have celebrated the crash, but none of us will be like him. We can all collectively agree that what happened is in no way a coincidence. Someone has to be sabotaging the races."

* * *

A reporter spoke, "You heard it here folks. Lightning thinks everything is getting brought down on purpose. The question is, if this is the case, who is doing it? Was Mr. Gorvette right to be suspicious? We might find out very soon. Now a word from our Formula racers." The camera switches to be focused on Francesco and Rip. The Formula 6000 racer still looked traumatized. 

"?Mr. Bernoulli and Mr. Clutchgoneski, what are your opinions on the crash? Do you two think it will affect the competition"

Francesco turned his gaze to Rip then back at the interviewers, "Francesco and Rip think the crash was awful. It's-a horrifying to think either one of us could have been in that position." Rip closed his eyes and reversed away from the microphone. He wasn't in the right place emotionally to answer any questions. Francesco tried to shoo the journalists away. "The-a competition will lose a lot of credibility. Now go, we want some privacy."

¶ "Seems like Francesco really showed the press that racers deserve some privacy. Let's see what our French racer, Raoul ÇaRoule has to say about everything," the silver reporter rolled back. The camera cut to the French rally car.

* * *

The tiny car looked absolutely devoid of any possible joy. He had just witnessed his friends crash in to each other just two hours prior. What else was he supposed to feel? He looked down. Lightning had already warned him of the question, so he was prepared.

"Raoul, how do you think the competition will be affected? What is your opinion on the crash."

He wasn't prepared for the second question, so he was taken aback. He spoke with confidence, "The competition will negatively be affected. If it wasn't, then I would have been surprised. Not every race has a crash. Especially not one that big. It's certainly not the biggest crash. The recording breaking amount of crashes was in the Piston Cup season way back in 2006. We racers wouldn't dare attack each other to win. It's against the rules in this race AND we just race for fun. Every comment we make brings us closer. Yes the competition is going to lose a lot of rep, but it isn't the end of the Grand Prix. London is still happening."

"Your opinion on the crash?"

Raoul was appalled, "My opinion on the crash? I watched five of my friends almost die and one on the inside. The crash was absolutely terrible. It will most likely leave a scarred memory for everyone, especially for the ones that couldn't even keep their eyes open. It was horrendous. I choose to not talk about the subject anymore."

¶ "Wow folks. What a response from our French racer. He is absolutely correct, though. This crash was horrendous. Luckily the racers can choose their fuel. We'll see what happens in the next race. Chad Stroker... signing off." The silver reporter left the scene, and the camera turned off.


	5. London Race

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The racers' pits are stunned into silence by death.

Finn woke up tied up to a gear. He recognized the build of this area. The shadows casted by clock hands really gave it away. There were in London, England. And right inside Big Bentley. He was tied up with Holley right behind him. He saw Agent Redline passed out over some very disconcerting gears that were turning at a pace fast enough to break Redline into pieces. The rope looked weak... too weak. He closed his eyes when he heard the sound of the lift getting powered on. The lemons, Grem and Acer, pushed the camera to a specific place facing down towards the racetrack. Holley was the one to see this. 

Axlerod rode into the pits and approached Lightning, "There you are." Lightning turned to face Axlerod instead of Fillmore, "Mister Axlerod! What are you doing down here?" There was an apologetic look in the electric car's eyes and frown, "You know you don't have to do this. You could get hurt Mr. McQueen. I really do owe you a thank you after what you did for me, so I'm here to tell you my concerns. Everyone has gotten hurt except for you and Francesco. That's why I don't want you or Francesco to race."  
¶ Lightning's eye's widened, "What? Why?" Axlerod sighed, "If it really has something to do with Allinol then I cannot risk the lives of any more race cars. I won't stand for these accidents anymore." Lightning looked down, "I'll be the tester to that. I'm going to show the world that they were wrong about Allinol. See you on the flipside amigo." He drove away before Axlerod could even stop him. Francesco and Lightning had both gotten themselves in grave danger. 

Rod finally woke up. He looked at the ropes tied around him then saw his teammates, "Holley! Finn! We've gotta get out of here." He dropped about 15 feet closer to the gears. He looked around. Finn was the one to speak, "Redline.. there's most likely no way out of here. Your rope is weak, though. Destroying it would mean certain death for you." Rod looked at the rope, "Dang it... I don't even know if I have anything that would help me get out. Can you guys get out?"  
¶ Holley sighed, "I'm sorry Rod. We can't get out. Our ropes are way too strong." Rod looked away, "Dagum..." His gatling guns appeared and the robot AI voice spoke, "Request technologed." The guns started trying to fire. There were no bullets, but they had started cutting through the rope. Rod took notice of this and started repeating, "Gatling gun." He started getting quicker and quicker until he had cut through the ropes. "Rod!" Holley shouted. He used bouncing to his advantage when he fell. His tires fought against the gears and he barely made it out.  
¶ "Holley! Finn! I have to get you two out of there!" Rod looked around for a way to get them out. Finned narrowed his eyes, "There's no time! The racers need your help! Go along you American and prove yourself." Rod peeled away to the ramps and raced down. He broke through the doors of Big Ben and began speeding down the roads.

The racers lined up. They weren't excited anymore. Lightning adjusted his position. Francesco revved his engine to try stirring some excitement. Raoul had his eyes narrowed and was ready to knock this race out of the park. Rip was still horrified, and he was shaking. Lewis looked at Jeff and drove over to him, "You look so down." Jeff just nodded and bumped tires with him. Carla looked at Nigel, "Hey.. Good luck. Don't let those teeth go to waste." Nigel looked at her and grinned, earning a giggle. Shu was listening to his pit chief. Miguel was trying to cheer Max up even though he needed cheering up himself.  
¶ Axlerod drove up next to the Queen. She lowered her staff to the time of the race starting. The racers broke out in spectacular fashion. "Francesco quickly has taken the lead," Darrell announces excitedly. Rod drove through the gates to the race. A guard watched him drive, "Hey come back here! Stop!" Rod drove into the pits, "Everyone! Get the racers to stop before they reach Big Bentley!"  
¶ Mater looked at him, "Huh why? Wait you're the cool guy I saw in the bathroom in Tokyo!" Lightning nearly crashed getting surprised by Mater's sudden yelling. Nigel could hear the yelling even through his chief's headphones. Rod repeated himself, "Everyone get the racers to stop! Someone is going to go out in flames at Big Ben!" Guido looked down the pit at everyone else. They were all staring at Rod in surprised confusion.  
¶ Rod repeated, "Stop the race!" This time he shouted it further down. Shu was the first one to stop, scaring the heck out of Miguel and Max. Raoul noticed and quickly stopped alongside Shu. Jeff started pushing forward, "Hey Rip! You hear that shouting from your chief too?!" The Formula 6000 nodded and came to a screeching halt. Jeff quickly stopped too as his own pit chief began telling him to stop. Lightning stopped as well when everyone in his pit told him to stop. He stopped right next to Francesco.  
¶ Miguel started to brake when he saw Lightning and Francesco up ahead, idle. Max quickly stopped as well. Carla stopped up by the leaders. "What is going on? You two hearing the voice shouting to stop as well?" Francesco nodded, "We got-a the warning." Lightning went in to reverse and drove backwards towards the others. "There seems to be another emergency," Brent announced. "There's no smoke happening on these racers' watches today Brent," David responded.  
¶ Axlerod couldn't help but smile. Everyone was going to be safe! Rod promptly started driving up the track. "What is this, Brent? A new car has just raced onto the track!" Darrell announced. Professor Zündapp widened his eyes, "It's the American spy!" The heads of the lemon families nodded in rage and started going down the glass overheads.  
¶ Rod drifted in front of the racers, "Everyone you must go! Get out of this race!" Jeff looked at him, "It was you shouting to stop the race." Rod nodded, "Yes. A bunch of lemons want McQueen and Francesco dead because they chose to use Allinol. Throughout the races these lemons switched out the fuel for modified gasoline that would boil when hit with an electromagnetic pulse. McQueen and Francesco are the targets now." Carla rolled up, "Allinol is actually safe." Rod nodded, "Exactly. Lightning, Francesco. Get into the pits while you still exist. I got reinforcments after these nasty lemons."  
¶ Rod started driving backwards when he spotted the Gremlin family head driving through the crowd. Next thing all the racers knew, Rod was up in flames on the track right under Big Ben. He had been hit with the very electromagnetic pulse meant to kill the racers. Francesco and Lightning had already fled after Rod told them to leave. The crowd started panicking. "The mystery car just exploded," Darrell said in shock as Holley raced onto the track and aimed at the glass Zündapp was behind. The professor began fleeing. Finn gave chase, and Holley went to the pits. Holley had tasered Grem and Acer after they had turned the camera on. They weren't able to get out in time to save Rod. They could however save the lives of any more racers from the lemons' wrath.


	6. Cultural Talk is Surprisingly Calming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lemons have gotten sent to jail and two racers in particular get to talking about their cultures to calm down together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate the reads but this still must be cut off early. I have a main project that I would much rather focus on than this terrible excuse for literature. This will be the last chapter for now if I will ever return to this story. I will write future stories but less cringe-worthy and more thought out. I created this story on a whim and hopefully I will rewrite it one day.  
> Though, I hope you all enjoy the cultural talks. I went to many websites and it took me a few hours to write down everything correctly.

The racers didn't know what they had just experienced. First a random car burst into flames, then over 100 cars were arrested. Interviewers were hungry for their opinions but understood that the racers needed some space first. What car wouldn't want time and privacy after watching a random spy car die in front of them. Jeff got his wish though. He got confirmation that everything was foul play. The racers actually didn't want to answer any questions. They instead wanted to go home. 

Some questions were better left not asked. The racers had some of those questions on their mind. Jeff was a bit shocked that his theory on foul play was confirmed. He stayed by his thoughts until the end. He drove over to Lewis and parked, "Hey there. How are you doing?"

Lewis looked at him, "I'm fine. I am still a bit shocked about everything. How are you holding up?" Jeff looked away, "I'm fine." Lewis bumped his front left tire against Jeff's front right tire, "Don't lie to me Jeff. I know you better than your parents even do. You obviously aren't fine, but I will not push for answers if you don't want to answer." Jeff smiled at him and nodded. 

Carla rolled up to Nigel and Francesco, "Hey boys. The interviewers are trying to get Miles to get us. He's keeping them away from us until we're ready to do anything involving them. He's trying his best to help us out after all that we have witnessed." Nigel looked down and smiled, "That's kind of him to do." Carla grinned and rolled away as Axlerod entered the room. "Hello racers. I have some good news for all of you. The reporters promised that they wouldn't ask you racers any questions if you don't wish to answer any questions."

Raoul seemed the most excited at that statement. Rip was also excited. Neither of them wanted to answer questions especially after all the races. Someone would have to answer some queries, though, to get the interviewers to leave them alone. Axlerod looked at Lightning and Francesco, "Hey McQueen, Bernoulli, get lots of rest. Try to get along, OK?" He rolled out when they nodded.

Shu looked over at Francesco, "Hey. Francisco, I wanna ask you something." Francesco rolled up to him, "What-a is your question?" Shu led him out of the room, "I didn't get to spend a lot of time exploring Italy. What is it like there?" Francesco grinned and his eyes lit up with excitement. "Italy is-a amazing. Family is-a very important in-a our culture. Our-a family solidarity is-a focused on extended family rather than the-a West's idea of a nuclear family. We-a have frequent family gatherings. You already know the-a Popemobile lives in Vatican City, right-a in Rome. The main religion here is Catholicism."

Shu nodded, "Would you mind telling me some more?" Francesco was now very excited. "Hohohoho! It's-a going to get even more interesting! Italy is-a home to some of the most famous buildings in the-a world! That includes the Colosseum and the-a Leaning Tower of Pisa. Italy is-a also home to many castles. The ones I can remember at-a the moment right now are the Valle d'Aosta Fort Bard and-a the Ussel Castle! Opera also has-a its roots in Italy and many famous operas, including Aida and Pagliacci, were written in Italian and is still performed in the native language!"

Miguel rolled over, "Hey. I couldn't help but overhear you both talking about culture while I was passing by. Mind if I join?" Francesco happily let him join in the conversation. Miguel smiled, "Well, continue." Francesco was absolutely giddy from excitement at this point, "Italy is-a also home to a number of world-renowned fashion houses, including Armani, Gucci, and Prada. We-a are known for our family-centric culture, and-a there are a number of small and mid-sized businesses. Heh, even many of the-a huge companies like Fiat and Benetton are-a primarily ran by single families. Many Italian families are traditionalists by-a nature."

He stopped talking and looked at Shu then Miguel, "Well, I-a told you two about my culture. How about-a you two tell me about yours?" Miguel and Shu exchanged a glance then nodded. "Hey Shu... How about you go first," Miguel suggested. Shu smugly grinned, "Well... You better be prepared to get annoyed by how much I am about to talk."

He took a deep breath, "OK, here goes. Religion is a wonderful mixture of ideas from both Shintoism and Buddhism. Unlike in the Western hemisphere, though, religion is rarely preached, nor is it a doctrine. It is a moral code instead. It's a way of living, almost indistinguishable from social and cultural values. Religion is also a private family affair. It is separate from the state; there are no religious prayers or symbols in a school graduation ceremony. Religion is almost never discussed in every day life and the majority of us do not worship regularly or claim to be religious. You two are lucky I am even telling you about this."

Francesco chuckled, "Do continue, Shu." The Japanese race car smiled, "In Japan we value relations with others by giving back and regard the fulfilling the social duty as more vital than personal individuality. Harmony, self-development, and order are the three most vital values that anchor our social relations. In myths, gods exhibit love and anger. That means behavior that results in positive relations with others is rewarded, and compassion is treasured. We are taught that fulfillment comes through associating with others. Interpersonal relationships, though, involve avoiding competition and confrontation. We exercise self-control when working with others. A lot of traditional dances are characterized by slow gesturing with music accompaniment. For example, the Bon Odori dance is performed at summer festivals in every city. Cars wear kimonos and dance with gestures and steps to the music. The Bon Odori dance is associated with the Bon Festival held in August to recall and respect ancestors."

He was starting to have fun talking about Japan now. Seeing Francesco and Miguel look interested filled him happiness, "A dance that was held in Tokyo on the night of the first race was the Nihan Buyo dance. It is performed on stage by cars wearing kimonos, with items like Japanese fans and ropes. It is a traditional dance taught by teachers called Shisho. You two most likely already know manga, anime, video games, and the popular music. But did you know that activities such as karaoke, bowling, and cinema are favorite past-times among younger cars in Japan? It is not unusual for these places to stay open for 23 hours to 24 hours at a time. It is especially common in large cities like Tokyo." 

Francesco smiled and gestured with his wheels, "That is very interesting, Shu." They both looked at Miguel when they were suddenly interrupted by Max driving over. "Hey Miguel! I was looking for you. Oh hey Shu, Francesco, what are you three talking about?" The two racers in question looked at him. Shu answered, "We were talking about our country's cultures one turn at a time. We were just about to learn about Spain." Miguel nodded, "Yeah. I haven't planned anything I was going to say because I was listening a bit obsessively." He laughed a bit with some nervousness. Max smiled and bumped a tire against Miguel's, "Well... I love learning about other countries. May I join?" Francesco grinned, "Of course."


	7. A Fun Party to Calm Down Some More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The racers go to a big party. There's some unnecessary flirting from some girls, but other than that it's all gay. (Both definitions)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am EXTREMELY TIRED. There will probably be LOTS of grammar mistakes. If so I apologize. I also noticed that everything is like extremely platonic so I shall use my romance writing skills and attempt to give what I actually intended to write about when I started this work. Have fun. I guess.

The racers were invited to a big party in good ol' California. Jeff's home state was certainly inviting. This also wasn't Vegas, but this party could certainly trick anyone. There were a lot of drunk cars. Like over half the cars attending were either sad, drunk, high, or a mix of all three. The rest were completely oblivious. 

Lewis backed up, "Is this really how Americans party? I don't like it." He looked specifically at Jeff when he asked this question. He looked at Lightning when he stated that he didn't like it. "In America usually only Vegas is like this," Jeff assured Lewis, "but California? I refuse to believe this is how my home state can get."

Carla looked around, "No wonder why Jeff set up headquarters in Indiana... This place is wild." Nigel nodded, "We should stick together. We might be able to get out of here." Francesco looked absolutely astonished with the lights, "Wow. There are a lot of-a lights..." Rip quickly stuck his safe space right to Raoul. He actually refused to leave his side now.

Miguel looked around, "Exploring a bit wouldn't hurt. This is the first time I have ever been in America." Lightning looked at him, "Well the Radiator Springs Grand Prix will definitely be less... crowded. It's also a lot less likely to get harassed there too." Miguel nodded and avoided the crowds to at least get a quick peek around the area. There were bouncers that refused to let any car leave at the entrance. He took note of that.

Max looked noticeably uncomfortable with letting the most impressionable of the group wander around alone, "I'm going to go keep Miguel company." The racers nodded and came up with a plan. Jeff looked at the group then at Shu, "Shu?" The Japanese race car snapped back to reality, "Y-Yeah?" A look of concern filled Jeff's eyes, "Are you OK?" The racers turned to face the very nervous Japanese racer. 

"Huh? Yeah, yeah. Of course I am. Did I miss anything?" The racers sharply inhaled at once. "You missed a whole talk, Shu," Nigel stated. Lewis nodded, "We talked about splitting in to groups. Going alone would certainly cause problems." The red and white racer backed up a bit, "Oh... I kind of... spaced out. I'm not used to bright lights like this." Francesco raised his front left tire up, "I-a don't think even Lightning is-a used to this neither."

The red racer nodded, "I really haven't been to a party like this." And with that the racers made their groups. Raoul had no choice but to stick with Rip. The poor orange racer was already traumatized enough. Carla chose to go with Nigel because he would be the best at avoiding trouble. Lightning went with Francesco, mainly because they were very close friends and they also could meme their way out of any situation.

Lewis and Jeff took the very much nervous Shu in. They were already best friends anyways. They immediately went to a quiet corner to attempt getting their bearings. Mainly Shu, he was having an absolute nervous breakdown. He was actually about to park himself and refuse to move if it wasn't for Lewis and Jeff checking up on him. They comforted him and Lewis even attempted to pat his hood in a comforting manner.

Carla and Nigel avoided any drinks. There were some sober fans there that welcomed them and actually expressed concerns with the racers being there. Some cars might try drugging them or getting them drunk. The duo promised that they would be careful. They soon encountered Miguel and Max. Nigel pointed them out and the decision was made that they were their best bet for staying safe.

"Hey mates!" Nigel drove over to them with a smile. Carla followed closely via almost tailgating. Getting lost in a place like this was certain metaphorical death. Miguel grinned as they approached, "Hola!" The tense atmosphere was lifted as they drove over. Miguel was always a joy to be around, given he wasn't in a mood. Carla smiled, "Sooo... how's the exploration going?" Max smugly grinned, "It has been going great. I intimidate anyone that tried to approach unless they weren't absolutely off their grille." Nigel nodded, "A few fans warned Carla and I that this place was a bit dangerous for famous cars."

Miguel shifted uncomfortably, "We encountered a few cars with that kind of behavior." Max nodded, "I was fixing to beat them up. Miguel stopped me. He didn't want me getting arrested." He chuckled a bit as a smile crossed his expression. The mood was once again getting light.

Francesco was looking around. The dance floor was glowing with fluorescent colors. He admired the colors for a moment until Lightning pulled him away when a few drunk Mustangs noticed him. Lightning quickly led him away from the ladies before they could try anything, "You gotta be a lot more careful Francisco." Francesco quickly corrected him, "Francesco." Lightning laughed a bit, "Just look out a bit more. Those three Mustangs were about to hit on you. Who knows how they would have reacted if you had said no to them in any response? They could have been very dangerous." The Formula 1 racer nodded.

"Rip please... Can you at least not awkwardly park outside the bathroom door? You could have attracted attention to yourself with how much nervous energy is coming off of you." Raoul quietly looked around to avoid eye contact if Rip would respond. The Formula 6000 racer stayed quiet. He just wanted to stay safe after everything that has happened. He didn't voice this reason, though. He thought it would be too much of a burden on the French rally car, so he stayed silent. Raoul caught on a sped in front of him, "Rip. Look at me. I know you're scared. You're not the best at hiding your feelings."

Rip sighed, "You know me too well. I'm a coward, yet I'm one of the bulkiest racers in our group of friends. I'm sorry for always getting in your way and just being a nuisance overall.. I mean it." Raoul parked, "Rip... You are not a nuisance. You're just a bit clingy. You're not a coward, neither. You're just extra careful. So please don't underestimate yourself." Rip smiled slightly, "Thanks... for everything." 

Shu was frozen in place. Lewis and Jeff wanted to move to a different spot because the corner was getting too crowded. He didn't want to move because he felt safer in the corner in the most shadowed place. He somehow managed to convince Lewis and Jeff to wait until the corner cleared out. It surprisingly did when a few well known cars drove over and had the others follow them. 

"Maybe we can get the host to let us leave," Lewis said out of nowhere. Jeff looked up for a moment in thought, "That could work." Shu quickly nodded. They huddled up together for a moment. Lewis had a realization, "Hold on... Where even is the host? I know he's a silver Chevrolet Impala, but I haven't seen him anywhere." Jeff nodded and rested against Lewis and closed his eyes, "I haven't seen him neither." Shu looked around a bit then closed his eyes, "Only a few hours until we can leave..."


	8. Parties Really Suck, Huh?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The racers successfully leave the party that was a massive failure.

Shu stared at his friends unsure what to do. He wanted to go with the flow. He wanted to, but his anxiety was getting worse. Coming to that subject, why was he even anxious in the first place? He closed his eyes to think. It was just some party. He shouldn't even be apprehensive, but his mind was occupied with so many pessimistic scenarios. He couldn't think clearly. The room felt like it was revolving. It could have merely been the heat vexing him but...

He snapped back to reality when someone uttered his name. "...Shu? Shu! You didn't fall asleep on us, did you? You all right?" The Japanese racer unclosed his eyes and drove back a little, "Yeah...I'm all right. Did I overlook anything you two were saying?" The yellow American racer looked to the side, "Uh...no. You didn't miss anything we were saying, but Carla came by with Nigel. You didn't respond to their greetings." Lewis nodded in agreement with his friend's recall.

Lewis spoke up though, "Are you really all right? You're acting like you've run out of gas on the interstate." Shu just nodded, "I'm just nervous. Fine, in actuality, I'm a lot more than just 'nervous.' I am fighting to stay awake. I just want to sleep and not have to worry about whatever is causing me to feel...anxious. I haven't recognized what's going on with me." Lewis drove forward and bumped his front left tire against Shu's front right tire, "Hey don't think too much. You'll end up overthinking everything." 

The red and white racer smiled, "Thank you, Lewis...Heh." He didn't feel that much better, but he was feeling better than he was five minutes ago. He backed up into the corner again and tried to get his bearings. He began to unostentatiously question himself, "Why am I so fucking nervous? Why? This has never happened to me before. Why must this occur now?" He wanted to just fall asleep. Perhaps he would stop feeling disturbed once he was relaxing.

He was starting to let his mind wander again. Lewis and Jeff took notice of Shu not paying awareness to anything again. They were going to watch over from the sidelines and let him be alone with his feelings. He needed some time to be isolated with himself. He unwound and stayed distant from any extra cars. He only looked over when Lightning drove over to Lewis and Jeff. He immediately went over to them. 

Lightning grinned, "Heya Shu. I nearly didn't notice you. You're seeming a lot better. I got some high-grade news from Max." Shu gazed at him with anticipation in his eyes. Lewis glanced back toward Jeff then back at Lightning, "Are we able to get out of here?" The torch red racer nodded, "That was the news actually..." Shu nearly gasped in excitement. They could finally leave!

Lightning could sense the overjoyed mood radiating from the Japanese racer. It was certainly refreshing to see Shu content again. The tension that Shu had previously was saddening. Lightning started to drive away, "Come on guys. The others are waiting near the entrance trying not to seem peculiar."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

They got out that night. The racers went on a road and in turn a long journey to Radiator Springs. It was a charming village. It was hard to imagine that the gorgeous place was once desolate before Lightning came along. He revived the once quiet borough. The event was absolutely spectacular. The spectators certainly thought so as well. It wasn't until well after the race that the competitors could really relish all the elegance that Radiator Springs had to offer.

Raoul went on a delightful drive through the encircling desert area with Rip. They watched the sunset together. The afterglow of the orb of fire lingered over the horizon. The two racers savored every moment watching the sky turn various shades of red and purple. They appreciated it together. That was what mattered between them. That is what connected them. They were closer than ever before. A sense of intimacy was what defined them as a pair. 

Much like Raoul and Rip, Carla and Nigel were very dear to each other now. They conversed with each other for hours, and they shared a tranquil dinner unitedly. It was evident that they had an attraction to each other. It was made even more prominent when Nigel invited Carla out for a drive throughout Radiator Springs. The twilight was pleasant to them, and it bestowed upon them the grand stars.

Max was a hopeless sentimental car this night in particular. He stayed mostly to himself and observed the racers converse without him. He opted to stay solo this time. He was very eerie at first. He just watched and made some cars uncomfortable. The attendees only really soothed down when the one car Max was attempting to evade idled near him. He turned into an apprehensive mess. Miguel didn't notice and attempted communicating.

Jeff and Lewis were a distinct story. They danced and did everything together that evening. "Too bad we can't live here together," Jeff solemnly declared. Lewis looked at him in confusion as he sipped his strawberry limeade. "Elaborate please," Lewis requested. Jeff looked down, "I just want to stay here. Everything is so wonderful here. I want to stay here with you, Lewis. You're my best friend. I have so much more fun with you around. What am I going to do without you?"

Lewis stared at him, "Jeff," he began, "it's going to be all right. We can always visit each other, and we can call each other. I'm never out of reach." Jeff smiled then looked away. He wasn't satisfied. He wanted one thing: to stay here with Lewis. He couldn't have that.

Shu and Francesco didn't really mind having to depart from everyone else. They didn't have too serious of an attachment to any cars here. They did have a quick talk and left it at that. "Hey, Francesco, you're looking like you're having a crisis." The Italian racer looked at him. "Yeah. My-a sexuality is getting tested. Why-a is everyone so attractive?" Shu chuckled and idled by him. He looked up in thought, "Are you drunk?" Francesco gasped, offended. "I have standards!"

==================================================

Sadly the stay couldn't last. The racers had to get back home. They all promised to visit each other. Jeff was the least willing to leave. The humble town had really grown on him. Raoul also had to acknowledge that Radiator Springs had brushed off on him. The racers paid their dues and left.


End file.
